The irascible police inspector Salvo Montalbano, at 56 and counting, is splendidly evoked by Grover Gardner as he battles with prescient dreams, contentious peers, failing eyesight, and brutally murdered horses. In Camilleri’s 12th Sicilian police novel, a dead horse discovered on Montalbano’s beach launches a convoluted unofficial investigation that leads the bachelor police inspector—think Maigret meets Columbo—to Mafioso and horse racing, as well as seductions and many amazing Italian meals. Italian accents do not rule Gardener’s narration, but the voices of the gruff Montalbano, his seductive female acquaintances, and his hard-pressed staff are all unique snapshots of character. Even the minor characters, such as a peasant with a cell phone and a cuckolded husband with the “voice of a dubber of porn flicks,” are all immensely entertaining.
Pub Date: 2010
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Novelist Benet Archdale and housemaid Carol Stratford are two young, single parents who have no reason to know each other. They become tangled in a nightmarish spiral of kidnap, fraud, family violence and death. Ruth Rendell creates psychological suspense in thrillers that are compulsively readable or, in this case, listenable. British actress Imelda Staunton's reading is perfectly paced, and the characters are well defined. You'll have a hard time turning it off.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Emerson and Peabody are at it again! Uncovering antiquities takes a back-seat as the romantic archaeologists track down the master criminal who is stealing Egypt's ancient treasures. With the help of their precocious son, Ramses, the intrepid pair unravel this mystery in crowded bazaars, desert camps and the heart of the Black Pyramid. Barbara Rosenblat's reading fully measures up to the tale. She is a master of timing and nuance. Rosenblat's power for character interpretation has grown with each book in this amusing series. This is the best one yet.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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